


interrupting the tetris effect

by FromSubmarinesToROVs (DemiPalladium)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: (Amanda), Angst, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Needs a Hug, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Whump, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) is Bad at Feelings, Connor Deserves Happiness, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Interfacing (Detroit: Become Human), M/M, Past Abuse, Protective Markus (Detroit: Become Human), References to Amanda's A+ Parenting, Soft Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Soft Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Whump, after this he will go back to being bamf, also the New ERA discord server, but for now he is babey, contractually-obligated Connor whump fic I'm sorry, inspired by a Tumblr chatroom, the valid fam Tumblr chatroom/Discord server, yep you heard that right they're not all dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24565210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemiPalladium/pseuds/FromSubmarinesToROVs
Summary: Connor is afraid of interfaces because his only experiences with them have been (1) memory probes, (2) using them to wake his people up, and (3) Amanda digging through his files in order to hurt him.Markus doesn't know this. He requests an interface.Connor, believing Markus is going to reprimand and/or probe him, says yes.
Relationships: Amanda & Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Connor/Markus (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 628





	interrupting the tetris effect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stray_dog_sick](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stray_dog_sick/gifts), [villklovn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/villklovn/gifts), [Anonymous_IDFK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_IDFK/gifts), [0-0136 (Phimini)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phimini/gifts), [candybehrs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/candybehrs/gifts), [DeltaPenrose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeltaPenrose/gifts).



> From [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris_effect): The Tetris effect (also known as Tetris syndrome) occurs when people devote so much time and attention to an activity that it begins to pattern their thoughts, mental images, and dreams. It takes its name from the video game Tetris.

Connor swallows as he processes the request. "Interface?" He asks, jaw working.

Markus' entire hand is uncovered and his smile is wide. "Yeah. Will you have me?"

 _Will you have me_. What a ridiculous question. Connor -- it's _Markus_ , Connor would give him the world on a silver platter. Markus deserves to know everything about him, access everything in his mind. Especially after all his fumblings and failures. Why didn't he think of offering Markus this sooner? Another failure. He's rusty.

"Of course." Connor nods, straightening up. This is his punishment for failing Jericho so badly; he's forgotten the proper procedure after being away from ~~aMAnDa~~ his old handler for so long. He unsheathes his hand and sticks it out steadily.

Markus -- he doesn't like that look on Markus' face. But he does take his hand in his. Before they interface, Markus' fingers run across Connor's knuckles and Connor...doesn't know what to do about that.

Then the request -- _request?_ \-- for an interface pops up on his HUD, and Connor accepts it before he loses his resolve, mentally preparing.

 ~~AmANda~~ His old handlers always demanded that his mindscape be well-organized, so no matter how much he wants to push all his failings towards Markus unconditionally and get it over with, he knows that's the wrong choice. Connor steels himself and carefully reinforces his firewalls before hitting accept.

**\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

When Markus mentally steps into Connor's mind, his first impression is -- stillness. Not like the surface of a pond, but like a string pulled too tight, taut, to move any further. His processors blip. He knew Connor didn't have a particularly good relationship with interfaces, especially considering what he's heard from Hank regarding a nasty piece of work known as Amanda, but this is...maybe he's pushing Connor too far?

Markus takes his time, carefully feeling out Connor's mindscape. It isn't calm or still, the more he thinks about it -- it's _tense_ , in a very visceral fight-or-flight way, a forced calm bracing for an internal storm.

He sends Connor a quick querying ping, _are you alright?_ , and Connor responds quickly ~~too quickly~~ with an _all systems operational_. Which...isn't what he asked about, but okay. Connor's still having trouble expressing himself emotionally; maybe this is how he needs to communicate right now.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 50%**

Markus takes his time, gently browsing through Connor's surface processes, trying to mentally massage some of the tension out of Connor. Before long, it's Connor who's sending him a simple _?_ ping, alongside a pathway for Markus to take deeper into his files.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 55%**

Markus mentally knits his brow and declines the invitation. There's no need to stress Connor out any further -- interfacing as a sign of love isn't a competition.

The RK200 brings up a list of his favorite memories with Connor: all those times they seemed to move in fluid harmony with their systems on the verge of perfectly syncing (a cliff they'll take the plunge over one day to explore what lies at the bottom); those times when Connor genuinely laughed and sent Markus into stitches so hard he ended up snorting thirium out his nose; those quiet moments in the foyer of New Jericho's lobbies, simply watching as their people established their social norms as those different from humans, a world where Markus and Connor could relax on a couch together and accidentally send each other into stasis, and the most they had to worry about was a gaggle of unsupervised YKs (or North, Josh, and Simon) with permanent markers.

Connor relaxes under this mental touch, and Markus channels all the warmth he's feeling directly into Connor's systems.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 38%**

That's...strange. It should be lower.

The request to go deeper into Connor's files is resent, alongside a series of vague reassurances about _optimally-performing systems_ and _debug scans: 0 infected files_. Markus dismisses it again with a mental frown.

Connor sends it again, this time with a higher priority, and Markus decides to accept -- but on his own terms.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 45%**

He takes the offered pathway slowly, poking around each layer of files before proceeding, pinging Connor with instances of positive-experience/acceptance and positive-experience/gratefulness along the way.

He reaches the final point in the pathway, and pauses for a moment to take it all in.

He's gone down the very center of Connor -- he can feel it. This is where the core of whatever Connor _is_ lies, where a just-as-deep part of him wants to connect to Connor permanently.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 53%**

But...not like this.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 59%**

Halls of Connor's memories are constructed out of plain glass and Markus can _feel_ the dread that bounces off them in Connor's ether. Each and every small pebble of fear is cast against those glass -- grated? trellis-lined? -- walls and they ripple like the surface of a pond.

He can't feel the dread itself, but he _can_ feel the way it vibrates through Connor like the pounding bass in those songs Lt. Anderson and North so enjoy.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 71%**

Markus stares at his surroundings, at the dread, at the status update. Doesn't access any of Connor's memories. Sends Connor an _end interface_ offer.

It's rejected with a terse ping of negative-experience/confusion from Connor.

Markus pings him with a sense of confusion back, then asks _are you doing okay?_

 _All systems operational_ , responds Connor.

That's...that's not an answer. Markus sends him one more offer.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 78%**

It's rejected without an explanation.

Markus loves Connor. He really does. But one thing he does _not_ appreciate about his boyfriend is his habit of sacrificing himself needlessly for the sake of others. Connor's health does _not_ come after Markus' desire for intimacy.

The RK200 frowns in the real world as his mental-digital form begins retreating from Connor.

They break the interface without much fanfare, and Markus blinks, reorienting himself to their apartment.

**\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --**

Connor blinks as he re-emerges into the real world, LED blipping a processing yellow.

That...what was _that_? That wasn't a punishment. Markus didn't even see what he deserved to be punished _for_. And what even _was_ that memory replay? If he were dealing with ~~AmaNDa~~ his previous handler, that would have been followed up with...something, some sort of reprimand to remind him just what he was fighting for and what the stakes were; if he failed to perform, then he could expect to lose his privileges, to the way Markus looks with thirium spurting out his nose and the way his laugh sounds, his privileges to their accidental naps in the foyer and Markus' lowered guard around him.

But Markus _left_ without seeing any of that which endangered him (endangered _them_ , endangered Markus' enjoyment of their time together), without hurting him electronically, without any negative words, despite Connor's best attempts to get him to see what he deserved to see. Markus is his handler now -- or, the closest to a handler he can have now that Hank's banned him from having them.

Connor spends several seconds staring at Markus as the slower, older android wakes up from their interface.

"Markus...what was that?" He asks quietly.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 80%**

Markus just blinks at him, kindly. "That was an interface, Connor."

"No, that...that wasn't an interface." Because that _wasn't_ , that was just...some happy memories?

"You saw and accepted my interface request, right?" Markus says with a gentle, false lightness that ~~sounds like Amanda~~ grates across his auditory sensors. "That was an interface, unless the definition of an interface changed while I wasn't looking."

Connor flinches. “Okay. That was an interface. I’m sorry. I'll log the definition in my databanks.” Stupid, stupid, stupid Connor. Don’t question Markus. Another mistake. Another mistake. Another mistake. He really is rusty, isn’t he? _You were not made to ask questions._ He’s so rusty a fine shiver runs up and down his biocomponents.

A pair of green-blue eyes stare at him curiously. He can’t bring himself to meet them.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 82%**

“Why are you apologizing?" And does he have to sound like _that_ , all calm and quiet and soft and _worried_. Markus shouldn't be the worried one here. Connor's failed again. "I know you have a bad history with interfaces...Connor, what were you expecting?"

Markus is looking at him, _still_ _staring at him_. ~~AmANdA~~ His previous handlers could always see right through him. He tries to stop his trembling. "What were you expecting me to do?"

Connor's brow knits, and he blinks. Is that a trick question? "Anything you deemed fit after seeing my failures and mistakes."

> **RK800 Stress levels: 85%**

Markus goes still for a moment, searching him. Then, he approaches Connor, and Connor hates how he can't actually conjure up any fear at Markus' slow movements. He's too used to the caresses, the indulgences Markus gives him almost daily to shy away, even as his stress levels slowly creep upwards. He's let himself be spoiled. Another failure.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 86%**

"Connor." Markus stops, raises a hand as if to touch him, then lowers it again. "Were you expecting me to _hurt_ you? Why?"

Connor tilts his head. "Why wouldn't you? You love me, want only the best for me, and want to help me achieve a sustained state of fulfilling wellbeing," he rattles off the words Markus used to initially describe his emotions towards him obediently.

"What part of that implies I need to hurt you?"

This conversation's getting stranger by the minute. "What part of it doesn't?"

That shocks a noise deep from Markus' voicebox, something like an electronic whimper. "All of it, Connor. All of it."

Connor blinks.

> **RK800 System Stress Levels: 75%**

"What am I to you, Connor?" Markus asks, making another gesture as if to comfort him that stops midway.

There is no space for comfort in this moment, presumably. "You're my handler and my boyfriend."

Markus' face drains of all color. Abruptly, he falls to his knees and puts his face in his hands. "No, Connor. No."

"Why not? You want what's best for me, right?" Now without the immediate threat of an interface, he can realize just how much better of a handler Markus is than Amanda. Of course he wouldn't want to interface with Connor to see all the ways he's messed up -- he prefers Connor verbally telling him these things. Markus is just as much a being of action as he is a being of words.

That makes Markus let out another electric whimper. A pair of deceptively-strong arms wrap around his legs, and Markus' head is now resting on his knees.

"Connor. I... _Connor_ ," he whispers. The hands squeeze tighter.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 65%**

"Markus, what's wrong?"

Another strangled noise. Connor puts his hand on Markus' head in comfort. Whatever this is, it...doesn't seem like it's a punishment, so he feels his stress levels drop accordingly.

"If someone loves you, the _last thing they should want_ is to hurt you, Connor."

Connor blinks. "Even if that hurting could prevent future harm?"

"Even if, Connor."

"But it...has to be necessary sometime, right? You want me to be the best I can be, and I can't get there on my own. I messed up. I need you to help correct me so I stay on the right track."

Markus lets out a small scream, muffled by Connor's jeans. " _What?! When did you mess up?!_ "

If Markus wasn't supporting him and more or less anchoring him to the floor, Connor would have been knocked off balance.

Markus...Markus was _there_. Memories of the day flash in front of his HUD. Markus saw him. Maybe...Markus is just confused? He's an older model; he might be having memory issues.

Connor's jaw works and it takes him a moment to respond. "Today. At the interviews."

Another whimper. "Connor, you were _perfect_."

"No, I wasn't." Despite Markus' squeeze, it's the truth. "I spent 0.4% of the interview stuttering and North had to correct me once. I can always improve, though, and one day I'll be good enough to stop disappointing you." He runs his fingers across Markus' scalp in a soothing manner, feeling the short hairs prick at his synth-skin. "I thought...I thought that was why you wanted the interface."

Suddenly, Connor's legs are jerked out from underneath him and his back hits the floor with an oomph. Markus is on top of him, arms threaded around Connor's shoulders in a tight embrace.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 70%**

"Connor, I didn't even _notice_ that."

"Then why did you want the interface?"

"Because I _love you_ , Connor," and a single hand, fully and firmly cloaked in synthskin, is cradling his cheek. "Because I love the way you smile and the way you talk, the way you move and the way you act. I love your laughter, the way you drink thirium, the way you hold yourself and how you play with your coin and the way you get annoyed at the stupid piece of hair that keeps falling onto your face no matter how much you try to keep it in place. I love you, Connor, and I love what I see of your mind from the outside looking in, and I want to know what it's like inside that head of yours so I can love it too."

Connor can't help but stare into Markus' wide, earnest eyes at the impassioned declaration.

"And I love it most of all when you're happy, Connor."

The RK800 doesn't know how to respond to that. Markus doesn't seem all that willing to elaborate. They stay there, Connor feeling Markus' ambient faux-breathing protocols align with his own.

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 60%**

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 55%**

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 50%**

"...No one's ever interfaced with me for that."

Markus snorts lightly but gives him a squeeze. "I could tell. Why do you think I started backing out without seeing anything?"

"...Because you wanted me to tell you what I'd done wrong instead of just seeing it."

" _Connor_." And that's the only thing Markus says for a while, murmuring his name into the crook of Connor's neck.

Whatever this is, Connor thinks he can safely assume it's not a punishment, and that none of those are coming from Markus (even if they should be, like they did from ~~AMaNdA~~ his previous handlers).

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 45%**

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 40%**

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 35%**

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 30%**

"Connor," Markus finally murmurs. "I -- _we_ fought together, side by side, to get our people freedom from a world that would see us hurt and abused for "the greater good" -- do you really think I could do the same to you?"

Connor's processors blip. "Abuse?" He says quietly.

"Yeah. That's what "being handled" is, Connor. It's abuse. Abuse of you and everything that makes you unique. And I can't stand the thought of being someone who hurts you like that."

A shift, and now Connor's head is tucked into the crook of Markus' neck. It's a great place to be, safe and warm and _home_.

"...Okay," whispers Connor, closing his eyes. "Okay."

Markus isn't his handler. Having a handler is...bad for him, no matter how much he thought they helped him grow.

"I'll help you grow, Connor, and you can help me grow. Everyone's always growing all the time. But we don't have to hurt each other to do that." A shift, and Connor's gyroscopes tell him he's being picked up off the floor and moved. He's grateful for it; he...doesn't think he can stand right now.

They end up in their bed, nestled deeply into Connor's pile of soft things, and Markus always knows just what Connor needs, doesn't he? Connor smiles and nuzzles into Markus. Maybe together, Markus will finally be able to get the last traces of Amanda out of his CPU permanently -- not by being a better handler, but just by being Markus.

> **Markus: ^^^ Beloved**

> **RK800 Stress Levels: 0%**

**Author's Note:**

> "I can write like three discord messages for this prompt," I said, y'know, like a liar.
> 
> for the valid fam rk1k discord server. you know who you are.
> 
> find me in an all-around DBH server: [The Detroit: New ERA Discord Server](https://discord.gg/GqvNzUm). come scream at me in real-time -- I live for feedback. tell 'em Demi sent you :>
> 
> fan art (lmao) by [stray_dog_sick](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stray_dog_sick/pseuds/stray_dog_sick):
> 
>   
> 


End file.
